Frequency: (917)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
1. Irish: reduced form of O'Brien.
2. French and English: variant spelling of Brian.
FOREBEARS: A bearer of this name from Brittany with the secondary surname Desroches is recorded in Montreal in 1681.
GIVEN NAMES: French 5%. Armand (2), Marcel (2), Emile, Esme, Fernand, Heloise, Henri, Herve, Luc, Ovila, Telesphore.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
